A detailed quick start beginners guide for ancestry research.
Start off your ancestry research with a blast. I am a storyteller and historian. I have a deep passion for learning about telling the story of my family. In order to tell that story, it became important that I learn the skills commonly used in genealogy and sleuthing for answers. In this article, I would like to review and share what I consider to be essential skills and best practices that are essential to be successful in ancestry research. Ancestry research is a repeatable process that you will use over and over.
Beginners Guide for Ancestry Research
Table of Contents
- 5 Step Repeatable Process for Ancestry Research
- 9 Tips to Keeping Research on Track
- How Detailed, Exhaustive Research Yields Success
- Power of One: Focus on 1 Ancestor at A Time
- 80/20 Principle Works for Ancestor Research
- Ancestor Research Is About Questions
- Recognize and Use Sources in Your Research
- Building an Identity Profile of Ancestors’ Lifes
- Learn to Analyze Resources You Find
- Use and Record What You Learn
- Use the Genealogical Proof Standard
- Expect the Unexpected in Ancestor Research
- Additional Articles on BeginMyStory.com
5 Step Repeatable Process for Ancestry Research
As I started ancestor research, I felt like a bee jumping from one flower to the next, searching for nectar. However, my mentor introduced me to a simple five-step repeatable process to discover my ancestors.
Step 1: Write down what you know
What do you know about the person or family group? This step can take a few hours to several weeks, depending on how thorough you are. The more complete my understanding of the person or family I am going to research, the easier and more productive my research will become.
Information can come from firsthand experience or documents you have. Look for copies of birth, marriage and death certificates; journals; scrapbooks; old letters; family bibles, school records; military records; obituaries; deeds, and wills. Check your genealogy software program, read through your genealogy notes, and review files you have kept in the family to see what you know and what you want to learn about your ancestors. Make a record of each piece of information you learn about your ancestor. I found it valuable to learn all I could about my ancestor and the events, circumstances, relationships and background that pertained to their lives.
Easy Five Steps for Conducting Individual and Family Research
An introduction to an easy, repeatable five-step process for researching individual and family research. Learn to identify known information, decide what to learn, select records to search, obtain and search, and evaluate the information.
If this is your first time doing ancestor research /genealogy, create a pedigree chart – a list of direct ancestors – starting with yourself and working backward in time. Go back as far as you can from memory. Pedigree charts graphically outline relationships across generations. Each person is identified by full name, birth date and place, marriage date and place, and death date and place. Start by completing a pedigree chart with yourself on the far left and then information about your parents and grandparents on the right, writing as much information as you already know. Answer questions from the following list that apply to your specific family members (if needed, estimate dates and places as a starting point):
What do you know about yourself?
- State your full birth name.
- When were you born? Include the exact date and place.
- When were you married? Include the exact date and place.
Who are your parents?
- State, the full birth name of each parent.
- When was each parent born? Include the exact date and place.
- When were your parents married? Include the exact date and place.
- When did your parents die? Include the exact date and place.
Who are your grandparents? Start with your mother’s parents, followed by your father’s parents.
- State, the full birth name of each grandparent.
- When was each grandparent born? Include the exact date and place.
- When were your grandparents married? Include the exact date and place.
- When did each grandparent die? Include the exact date and place.
- If needed, estimate dates and places as a starting point.
This exercise will expose missing information. Don’t worry if you’re unable to fill in all the information. You will gather this information during the research process. Evidence of a person’s life event is usually found in historical documents stored in a repository near where a person lived. You will want to record what you know on printed or electronic forms, such as pedigree charts and family group sheets.
Family group records show information about a single-family. Each family group record includes information about the father, mother, and children, identifying each person by name.
If the birth dates are known, children are listed in birth order. If you have the names of children’s spouses, you can list that. There is often space on the family group sheet to record birth, marriage, and death information and other notes about the family, as needed. This can include censuses, joining or leaving churches, christenings, confirmations, burials, acquisition or sale of land, migrations, citizenship changes, jury duty, lawsuits, probated wills, paid taxes, obituaries, mentions in newspaper articles, new jobs, draft registration, military service, working on the county road crew, jail, serving as a witness, bondsman or godparent and more.
I keep notes about family history on a separate sheet of paper. These notes could be biographical information such as military service, education; social or economic status; migrations; participation in the community, social, religious, or historical events, or physical descriptions.
Step 2: Decide what you want to learn
Start by selecting an ancestor you would like to know more about. If you are starting, I suggest choosing an ancestor you already have some information about, preferably someone before 1920. In my experience, it is easier to get information from family and sources such as vital records, census records and land records.
Step 3: Choose a record or source of information
Once you know what information you’re looking for, ask yourself where you might find it. Then choose one source or record on which to focus your research. For example, if I wanted to find the birthdate of an ancestor, I would ask these questions: “What type of records would have a birthdate? Where are these records kept? How do I get access to the records?” And so forth. I record all questions, thoughts and findings in my research log.
The types of records you will search include the following:
- Compiled Records. These are records of earlier research on people and families already done by others, such as family histories, biographies or genealogies with pedigree charts and family group records. It is best to search compiled records first.
- Original Records. These are records created during important events in your ancestors’ lives. For example, a local church or government may have recorded your ancestors’ births, christenings, marriages and burials. Other original documents include court, land, naturalization, taxation, business, medical and school records. Be sure to check all jurisdictions – such as a town, county, state and country – that may have kept records about your ancestor.
- Background Information. These are records dealing with geographical, historical or cultural information, including local histories, maps, gazetteers, language dictionaries and guidebooks. Search these records to learn more about the area where your ancestors lived and the events that may have affected their lives, and the records about them.
Step 4: Obtain and search the record
Investigate the record or source for the information you want. Once I have chosen the source I will search, I try to learn about the source and how to use the information I might find. For example, if I were planning to search the 1880 United States Federal Census, I would read a study guide to learn how to research and use the information in the record. If my source were a person, I would contact the person, make a list of questions and conduct and record my interview. I would record or make a copy of the information I found to help with citing and analyzing.
When researching a record or source, these are some of the common issues you will face:
- Name changes. It was common for immigrants to change or shorten their names after arriving in a new country. You may need to check for various possibilities.
- Spelling variations. Many ancestor names have variant spellings. Many recorders spelled names according to sound. A person may also be listed under a nickname or abbreviation.
- Handwriting. Most original documents you will search are handwritten. If you cannot read a letter, look at other names in the record to see how the writer made certain letters. Some handbooks illustrate the way letters were written in earlier times.
- Dates. You may want to check a range of dates for an event, which could be recorded on a different date than expected.
Step 5: Use and record what you learned
Evaluate the results of your inquiry and share information with others. This is an integral part of the process. Sometimes what I find is only a clue; other times, it’s a goldmine. I record what I learn in my research log. Based on the information I’ve gathered, I decide where I want to go and start with step one again.
As you check the information, consider the following questions:
- Did I find the information I was looking for?
- Is the information complete?
- Does the information conflict with other information I have?
- Is the source of information credible?
Transfer any new information to your pedigree charts and group records. It’s essential to include valuable sources in helping you resolve problems with conflicting information. For example, you may have a birth record that provides a birthdate and an obituary with another birthdate. You will want to decide which date is the most reliable by reviewing your sources; the most reliable source is usually the source made closest to the time of the event.
9 Tips to Keeping Research on Track
It’s straightforward to start researching one line of thought, become interested in another, and change direction, all in a few minutes. Soon you’re surrounded by papers, documents, names, dates and locations and are left with a head full of swirling questions.
You will find your research more productive if you identify your research goals, develop a research plan and focus on their completion. The following are some ideas for keeping your research on track and manageable.
1. Focus on specific sections of your ancestor research / genealogy at a time. This can be:
- A specific family line or surname
- A specific time and place
- A specific family unit
- A specific question to solve
2. Once you have focused on a specific area to research, create a log to help you develop a big picture of what you have and where you want to go. Keep the log up-to-date — it will save you time and energy. Note when and where you viewed the information. The log can include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Who you have talked to and what information provided
- Information you have found and citations
- The questions you still seek answers to
- Thoughts of where to research
- The answers you have found
- Ideas and assumptions you are making and why
3. Keep a to-do list — a plan for what research you seek to perform. Organize the plan so the most critical research gets done first. Often you find that when you focus on top-priority research, many other items on your list are completed also.
4. Group your to-do items by the source you will use to conduct research.
5. Create a “future research” file. As you conduct your focused research, you will always come up with ideas for research you want to conduct outside the focus of your current line of inquiry. Record it — whether it’s an idea, a paragraph, a printed document, a photocopy or whatever else — put it in the file and forget about it until you are done with the task. You can then go through the file at a later date, organize your notes and start the next task. Don’t be surprised if you begin doubling your accomplishments.
6. Keep track of your progress.
7. Reach out for help as you need it.
8. If you have a hard time finding the time or are spending too much time researching, schedule time with yourself to conduct your research. Make your appointments start and end on time. There is something about a deadline that helps keep you on track.
9. See the big picture. While focused research will help keep your ancestor research work organized and streamlined, it’s important not to get so focused on finding a single individual or piece of information that we don’t look at extended family, neighbors, and the entire community’s migration patterns. Often the missing person (or piece of information) will pop up in someone else’s family in a completely different geographic location.
Sometimes the shortest distance between two points is not a straight line. There are many instances where researchers come to a dead end on an individual and, through researching related people (siblings, aunts, uncles, and so on), are led back to the individual of interest. Think outside the box. If you’re stuck, find unusual ideas and places to look for information.
How Detailed, Exhaustive Research Yields Success
Ancestor research is a skill requiring preparation and planning, detailed and exhaustive research, and careful correlation, analysis and reporting.
Preparation and planning
Develop a research plan based on analyzing and defining the research problem you seek to resolve. Preparation and planning require that you place the problem in its legal and social context, identify related and associated individuals, and identify relevant resources, tools and methods, as well as the pros and cons of using those resources.
Ten-step Process for Finding and Using Historical Records
An introduction to a ten-step process for researching individual and family research. Learn about setting goals, preparing for select records, to finding and evaluating the record.
Use all appropriate finding aids and sources, recognizing that differences exist in each source. To be thorough, examine each record or record set for flaws, quirks and strengths. As you identify information, create a complete citation, noting the source of information and when you accessed it. Look for clues, placing all new information into a geographic and legal context. You will extract as much relevant information from that source as possible, looking for crucial details that might require an immediate revision of your research plan and marking anything that needs subsequent study. You’ll conduct follow-up research on all family and associates whose records might shed light on the person of interest.
Careful correlation, analysis and reporting
Correlate all pieces of information that you find — no matter how small — looking for connections and patterns. Summarize your findings and analyze what you’ve learned. Does your analysis warrant a conclusion, or does the information lead you to expand your original plan? Prepare a conclusion or proof statement for ongoing research and reference.
Stay focused on the research you start
Once you have a clear picture of the specific individual, couple or family group, it’s time to define your objective. Do you want to prove a statement? Do you have a question to answer? Do you have a theory or hypothesis you want to test?
It’s a good idea to create a brief timeline of events for your ancestor to help you determine what questions you still need to answer and what information you hope to find, such as the date of birth.
At this point, you can build your research plan. This plan identifies what you want to search, where you will search and what resources you will search.
As you follow the plan you’ve created, keep a research log, which will keep you focused on your goals and help you document where you’ve been and where you want to go.
Make an appointment with yourself
Suppose you have a hard time finding the time or are spending too much time doing research, schedule time with yourself. Make your appointments start and end on time. There is something about a deadline that helps keep you on track.
Once you have focused on a specific area to research, create a log to help you develop a big picture of what you have and where you want to go. Keep the log up-to-date — it will save you time and energy. Note when and where you viewed the information. The log can include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Who you have talked to and what information provided
- Information you have found and citations
- The questions you still seek answers to
- Thoughts of where to research
- The answers you have found
- Ideas and assumptions you are making and why
Keep a to-do list — a plan for what research you seek to perform. Organize the plan so the most critical research gets done first. Often, when you focus on top priority research, many other items on your list are also completed.
Group your to-do items by the source you will use to conduct research.
Create a ‘future research’ file
As you conduct your focused research, you will always come up with ideas for research you want to conduct outside the focus of your current line of inquiry. Record it — whether it’s an idea, a paragraph, a printed document, a photocopy or whatever else — put it in the file, and forget about it until you are done with the task. You can then go through the file at a later date, organize your notes, and start the next task. Don’t be surprised if you begin doubling your accomplishments.
Power of One: Focus on 1 Ancestor at A Time
When doing ancestry research work, it’s essential to focus on one ancestor, one question and one record at a time. I refer to this as the “Power of One.”
Conducting ancestor research means finding answers to questions. When I first started researching my ancestral lines, I found myself overwhelmed with questions I wanted to answer for each ancestor, such as the following:
- What was his name?
- When and where was he born?
- When and where did he marry?
- Whom did he marry?
- How many children did he have?
- What were the names of the children?
- Where did he live?
- What type of work did he do?
- To what religion did he belong?
- Was he in the military?
- Did he belong to any other organizations?
- What did he look like?
- When and where did he die?
- What was the cause of death?
- Where was he buried?
How can you simplify when you’re overwhelmed by all these questions? Here’s where the Power of One is so helpful. Start by realizing that genealogy research is a project, and a genealogy project is completed by one individual, one question and one task at a time. Below, I have outlined the steps I took as I worked on my first family history research project, which is the basis of the process I follow today.
How to Use Quest Research 360 for Historical Research
An introduction to Quest Research 360, a system for learning about and preparing for individual and family research. Learn about the first two stages of Quest Research 360 that including questions that lead to answers and understanding the times and seasons of an individual’s life.
Choose one individual, family or generation to focus my research on. Use pedigree charts and family group sheets to help identify problems to resolve, such as:
- Missing information: names, dates or places.
- Incomplete information: part of a name, date, or place is missing.
- Unverified information: information cannot be traced to a credible source (someone who would have known the information firsthand).
- Conflicting information: facts from two sources do not agree.
Then, develop a list of questions and tasks associated with the project, review the list and pick the essential item to complete.
As I begin, I then outline the task in detail by asking myself questions such as the following:
- What is my goal for the task?
- What information do I have already?
- What resources will provide the answers I am looking for?
- Do I have the desired information in my records already?
- Do I know to complete the task? If not, what do I need to learn about? Where can I find the answers?
- Do I need help from others? If so, who?
- Do I need to conduct Internet research?
- Do I need to go to the library?
- Do I need to contact another family member or genealogist?
I will then work on the task until it’s complete.
80/20 Principle Works for Ancestor Research
The most important task at hand is not necessarily the most urgent or most straightforward; it’s the most important task. For example, I may have one of my task; I want to go to a regional library to conduct research. While going to the library is important, calling the library and finding out information such as hours of operation and collections to search. Names of staff that can help me with my specific research are my priority over going to the library.
I was applying the 80/20 principle, which tells us that 80 percent of our results will come from 20 percent of our inputs. By picking the most important task to work on, we’re ensuring that it falls within the critical 20 percent. Also, by focusing 100 percent of our energies on this item, we’ll accomplish it much faster than we would have if we’d allowed ourselves to be distracted by interruptions—or worse, tried to multi-task and complete two or three items at once. It’s incredible how fast you can get something done if that’s all you work on. Items that used to sit on my to-do list for weeks, even months, began to disappear. I found that I saved myself twenty hours of work for every hour I put into preparation and planning and found my ancestors three times faster.
Ancestor Research Is About Questions
Questions and answers are the foundation for exchanging genealogical information. We have many ways to learn, but by simply asking questions, we set the stage for learning and sharing what we know.
Narrow the focus of your questions. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the number of questions that need answers. It’s been my experience with a genealogy that the further back I go, the more questions I ask.
The key is to identify one person or a few individuals of the same family. Research efforts move forward faster if you focus on one individual and one question at a time. Use your pedigree charts and family group sheets to help identify questions. Make a research plan listing the questions you want to research.
Here are some examples of initial questions and follow-up questions I have created to guide my research plan development, personal skill development, and research process:
- What information do I want? It’s not uncommon to read and hear questions from new genealogists that appear to be asking the responder to provide answers to every question the asker will ever need now or in the future about a given family line or individual. The questions you ask determine your research path. Know what you want to learn. Identify the information you are seeking.
- How do I prepare for a library visit? What does the library have that will help me with my ancestor research and genealogy? What is a good book for beginners? How do I do research at a distance? What are some valuable tips for successful genealogical research?
- When searching for information, I ask: What records do I search if I want to find birth records? Death records? Immigration records? Adoption records? Maiden name? City or parish of a foreign country?
- Concerning immigration, I ask: How do I locate passenger lists? Where do I find information on immigration and naturalization? What is available on the Internet? Where was my ancestor born? His parents? What language did they speak in the home? What language was their newspaper printed in? What year did they immigrate? What language did they speak before they came to the United States? What is their status — AL (alien), PA (papered or applied for citizenship), or NA (naturalized or received citizenship)?
- When developing an ancestor profile, I ask: Where was my ancestor born? Was my ancestor married? Single? Widowed? Divorced? Married more than once? Where do I find vital records? Did my ancestors own a home or rent? Was it a farm or a house? Was it mortgaged or owned free and clear? Homesteaded? How much was the mortgage payment or the rent? What was their occupation, profession, or trade? Did they own their own business or employ others? Work for someone else? What was the type of business or trade?
- Concerning record repositories, I ask: What resources are available at the local library? The county or regional library? What about university libraries and archives? State archives? Local, county or state historical societies? Is there a local, county or state genealogy society? What is available in the homes of family members?
- For census records, I ask: Which census enumerations were taken during my ancestor’s life? What maps exist for the period my ancestor lived? Where can I find blank census forms to help me record my information?
- And for ancestors in the community, I ask: Were there relatives where my ancestor resided? With whom did my ancestor do business? Where did his children find their spouses? Was it an ethnic community? If so, what language did they speak at home? When was the community founded? What records were available? What disasters had the community experienced? How had wars affected the community and its records? What churches were in the community? Are records available?
Recognize and Use Sources in Your Research
You have many sources available to you in your ancestry research. Sources are considered people, documents, publications (all media), artifacts, etc. We find sources in the original or derivative forms. Derivative forms include abstracts, transcripts, narrative histories, and any other secondhand account of information. Sources provide information from which we select evidence for analysis that leads to a sound conclusion, which we refer to as proof. Information is considered to be the words (oral or written) used by the sources, which can be either primary (firsthand) or secondary (secondhand). Evidence is information that is relevant to resolving a research question. Direct information explicitly states an answer to our question, while indirect information does not explicitly state an answer to a question but can be combined with other information to build a case.
Tip: Are document copies okay to use?
Image copies are derivatives but are acceptable evidence when originals are unavailable, and authoritative agencies make the images. Record copies made by civil and clerical authorities are derivatives but are considered “best evidence” when originals are destroyed or not open for public examination. Both original and derivative works can have errors, and derivatives have a higher margin of error.
Tip: How do you determine the quality of information?
Information quality cannot be determined unless you can identify the informant and the nature of their involvement with events. Both firsthand and secondhand information can contain errors, and firsthand information is generally more reliable.
Tip: What if the direct evidence does not entirely answer my question?
Direct evidence does not have to answer all aspects of a question, and it’s not uncommon to have direct evidence answer only part of a question. The critical point is that it does make a direct statement in answer to the question. Keep in mind that indirect evidence, when it’s assembled well, can be more accurate than direct evidence.
Building an Identity Profile of Ancestors’ Lifes
The identity of the ancestor is more than a name. It is every known detail of human life, including information about the individual, their relationships, and origin. Begin by targeting your research location. Search for any document created during the time your ancestor lived. Make sure you understand the circumstances under which every document was created, continually comparing, contrasting, and questioning details. From this analysis, you will be able to do the following:
Build a profile about the individual
This is not just about collecting birth, marriage, and death data. Consider all aspects of their life that make them unique such as their name, education, occupation, religious and civic associations, social and financial status, precise locations of residences, personality traits, and signature. Next, place the individual in their family, neighborhood, and cultural context. Search for and identify individuals from the same place and time with the same name and sort out their identities.
Learn about their relationships
Relationships are proven by linking people through known interaction, the proximity of where they lived, common ownership, migration patterns, naming, and so forth. Knowing these things will give you a fuller picture of your ancestor’s life and provide ideas for sources to find additional records.
Determine their origin
Origin can be established from statements and documents associated with the person and by identifying migration patterns of associates and family.
Learn to Analyze Resources You Find
I’ve learned a series of questions that helps me analyze and extract available source information. The questions include the following:
- What is the source citation of this document?
- Is this an original document or a derivative?
- Where did the document originate?
- When was the document written?
- Who is the primary individual listed in the document?
- Who are the other individuals named in the document? What are their roles?
- What relationships are stated?
- What is the purpose of the document?
- What information is directly stated within the document (such as dates or places)?
- What information is implied (indirect) by this document?
- What information is not stated (name of wife, names of children, and so on)?
- When was the document recorded?
- Who had jurisdiction over the document then? Who has current jurisdiction over the document?
- What other document(s) partner with this one?
- What hints are contained within the document, suggesting additional research?
Use and Record What You Learn
When doing family history research, a vital part of the process is evaluating the results of your inquiry and sharing your information with others.
I ask myself the question, “What do I see?” Sometimes what I find is only a clue; other times, it’s a gold mine. I record what I learn in my research log. Based on the information I’ve gathered, I decide where I want to go and start with step one again.
As you evaluate your information, consider the following questions:
- Did I find the information I was looking for?
- Is the information complete?
- Does the information conflict with other information I have?
- Is the source of information credible?
Transfer any new information you find to your pedigree charts and group records. It’s essential to include the source, which is valuable in helping you resolve problems with conflicting information. For example, if you have a birth record that provides a birth date, but an obituary gives another birth date for the same person, you will want to determine which date is the most reliable by reviewing your sources; the most reliable source is usually the source made closest to the time of the event.
Next, organize your records for easy access.
Several computer programs can help you organize your records on your home computer. If you are starting, consider the following tips:
- Keep pedigree charts numbered and arranged numerically.
- Keep family group records in alphabetical order by the husband’s name.
- Keep notes, research logs and copies of documents behind the related family group record.
Use the Genealogical Proof Standard
The Genealogical Proof Standard is a principle associated with information found indirect evidence and cases built upon multiple pieces of diverse or contradictory evidence. Following this standard will substantially reduce costly mistakes of connecting families and generations. To comply with the Genealogical Proof standard, your research must include the following features:
Reasonably exhaustive research
Identify and use all relevant sources, including finding aids. The keyword here is “all.” It requires you to search beyond what is conveniently at hand or published online, and it is more than finding just three pieces of evidence that “say the same thing.” Without searching all documents, you will miss critical clues and opportunities for verification.
Complete and accurate source identification
Record all details necessary to relocate the source. Abstract analytical and descriptive details are necessary to evaluate the reliability of the information you’ve taken from the source.
Skilled analysis and correlation of data
Start by learning about the nature of the record and the conditions under which it was created. Make sure you understand the language of the record based on the meaning from the period. Learn about the relevant laws of the place and time and the cultural context of the community. Compare and contrast minute details to establish the meaning of the entire document and the information contained. Then select which facts you will consider as evidence.
Resolution of any conflicts in the evidence
Don’t overlook any evidence that contradicts what you feel is the appropriate conclusion. Take all the time necessary to sort out this issue. I spent several years researching the wrong line because I jumped to a conclusion without taking the conflicting evidence seriously.
A soundly reasoned conclusion or “proof argument”
This is a formal statement of evidence you have gathered to prove a point. Statements are written for both corresponding direct evidence and complex or contradictory evidence. A proof argument for corresponding direct evidence includes citations to multiple sources that are independently created and a proof summary that identifies a source or sources of direct evidence and discusses the factors that support its credibility. A proof argument for complex or contradictory evidence provides a thorough discussion of the problem (such as the available resources, the methodology used, the evidence found, any contradictions that exist, and how those contradictions are resolved) and a concise, clearly expressed, convincing conclusion. This includes the reasoning that supports the conclusion and thorough citations for every piece of evidence.
Expect the Unexpected in Ancestor Research
One of the first lessons I learned in ancestor research was to count on surprises, to “expect the unexpected.” Life is all about the unexpected—the good, the bad, and the crazy. I have found many unexpected bits of information in my own research, such as the following examples:
Shortly after my Mom died in 1997, I was interviewing one of her childhood friends. At the end of the interview, I was presented with a scrapbook she had kept on her friendship with my mother over the years, including cards, photos, news articles, and much more.
When I was researching the life of a step-father, I uncovered the fact that, at one time, he had been a member of the New Jersey mafia and was forced to leave the state when a contract was placed on his life. One clue led to another, and I finally found family connections in New Jersey.
I had been told of a family rift over the “stealing” of land and water rights during the 1920s. After investigation, I found the land was lost due to taxes not being paid. Another family member bought the land for the cost of the taxes.
In a diary of a relative, I found accounts of abuse and deep sorrow that were never discussed openly or known by anyone other than in the lines of the journal.
Managing the unexpected. When you find the unexpected, it may take some getting use to. The unexpected usually happens when we move beyond the dates and explore court and land records, newspaper clippings, journals, letters, and other, more personal records.
In today’s world, it’s hard to imagine keeping a marriage, the birth of a child, serving a prison sentence, or some other major life event a secret in the family. But remember: in the past, family members lived far apart and were unaware of day-to-day happenings miles away. Personal lives were more private than in today’s wide-open, anything-goes world. Whatever news was passed on to the rest of the family went through a sort of “public relations” clean-up to make it sound better.
The basics of handling the unexpected are simple: Sometimes the information will be used to help you in your research or to tell a story, but sometimes it may be best kept a secret. Be respectful of the living and their wishes, especially if the information is sensitive. In my own case, I can only think of one unexpected piece of information that I chose to leave a secret. It had no value to the living or the dead, to genealogy or a good story. So enjoy your research and the unexpected information that will turn up along the way!
Additional Articles on BeginMyStory.com
The following are other articles you may enjoy to help you trace your ancestry.
- QuickStart Beginners Guide to Ancestry Research
- Introduction to Ancestry Research and Historical Records
- 4 Easy Steps to Google American Ancestry
- Preparing to Easily Google Ancestor Records
- How to Get Great Google Search Results in Ancestry Research
- 9 Advanced Google Search Strategies to Trace Ancestors
- What It’s Like to Start Ancestry Research
- Complete Guide for Conducting Oral History Interviews
- 7,500-plus Questions About Life to Ask People When Writing Narratives
- Complete Guide to Writing A Personal Narrative
- 1940 U.S. Census Research Guide for Beginners
- 1950 U.S. Census Research Guide for Beginners
